Oil wells often produce multiple fluids in addition to oil. Typically, water seeps into subterranean oil reservoirs as the oil is being removed, and is eventually pumped to the surface along with the oil. This water must be separated from the oil before the oil can be used. Once the water has been separated from the oil, the water must be disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Water disposal costs typically include storage, shipping, processing, and associated personnel costs.
When a well has produced a significant portion of its oil reserve, additional water often begins to seep into the reservoir, causing a significant decrease in oil to water ratio. This increase in water causes increasing water disposal costs and decreasing oil yield. When the costs of water disposal outweigh the income from the oil production, the oil well is considered unprofitable and is capped, often with a significant amount of oil remaining in the well.
Several methods of separating water and oil both above and below ground have been created. However, the present methods each require either expensive equipment, active management, or both.
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus for separating a mixture of liquids of differing specific gravities in a wellbore. The apparatus should employ a relatively inexpensive process to separate water from valuable liquid hydrocarbons underground, before any liquids have been drawn to the surface, to reduce or eliminate water disposal costs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent when this background of the invention is read in conjunction with the subsequent detailed description of the invention, appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.